Handcuff



ALTMAN. Hand-Cuff.

No. 226,950. Patented April 27. I880.

Jim/2. 57%:

N-PEI'ERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

NITED STATES PATENT Orrrcnt DAVID ALTMAN, OF GHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

HANDCUFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,950, dated April 27, 1880,

Application filed February 528, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID AL'lMAN, of Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handcuffs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawin gs, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in handcuffs; and it'consists in pivoting the two jaws upon a nut, through which passes a screwrod, for the purpose not only of operating the segment or catch which holds the jaws open or closed, butt'or the purpose of diminishing the space between the two jaws where they pass around the wrist or arm.

-It furtherconsists in making the end of the screw-rod square where it passes through the handle, and providing thehandle with a springcatch, which can be so moved as to allow the handle to be turned freely around without operating the screw-rod, whereby the officer can tighten the cuff on the prisoner by screwing inward the screw-rod without letting go of the handle for a moment.

. It further consists in the arrangement and combination of parts, which will be more fully described hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the two ends of the jaws between which the springs are placed, the screw-rod being cut in two.

AA represent the two jaws of the handcuff, which have projections or flanges B made in their inner sides, and which flanges lit in 'corresponding recesses made in the opposite sides or the nut O. Passing through this nut and the flanges on the jaws are suitable pivots, upon which the jaws move. Secured to one of these jaws, and passing freely through a guide, D, on the other, is a rod, upon which a coiled spring, E, is placed, which spring causes e jaws to snap together whenever they are left free to do so. Also secured to one of the jaws, and passing through a suit able guide on the other,is a steel segment, G, which has a notch made in its inner side for catching over a flange formed on the inside of the guide I, through which the segment passes, which notch holds the jaws rigidly together when closed, and a second notch, which holds the jaws opened. Bearing against the side of this segment, so as to cause the notches to always engage with the catch, is a flat spring, H.

Passing down through the nut upon which the two jaws are pivoted is a rod, L, which is made screw-threaded on its inner end, and which is made square at its outer end where it passes through the handle Q. On the inner screwthreaded end is placed a suitable button or enlargement, 0, so that when the rod is screwed inward this button will move inward against the wrist or arm for the purpose of decreasing the space between the jaws, and thus making the handcuff hold more securely. Also secured to the red near its center, or at another convenient point, is a cam, P, which, as the rod is turned around, serves to force the steel segment outward, and thus allow the jaws to be freely opened, or allow them to close when open. By means of this cam, by a very slight turn upon the handle Q, the segment is moved sufficiently far to allow the handcuff to be instantl y opened or closed.

Placed upon the outer end of the rod is the handle Q, which has a spring-catch, R, sunk in a recess in its inner side, and which catch has a square hole made through it for the purpose of catching around the square part of the rod. When this square opening in the springcatch catches over the square end of the rod the handle is secured to the rod in such a manner that when the handle is turned around the rod is made to turn also; but when the catch does not catch over the square end the handle can be turned freely around without operating the rod, either for the purpose of closing the space between the jaws or for operating the segment. On the outer end of this springcatch is placed a small button, which can be operated by the fingers in taking hold of the handle, so that the officer can connect or disconnect the handle and rod at-will. By means of this construction, while the officer has hold of the prisoner, each time that the officer disconnects the spring from the rod he can move the handle freely backward without operating the screw-rod; but the moment the spring is released from the pressure of his finger it again connects with the rod, and when he turns the handle forward again the rod is screwed inward, so as to tighten it upon the prisoners wrist or arm.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a handcufl", a screw-rod having an en largement on its inner end and passing inward between the jaws, for the purpose of decreasing the space at that point where the jaws pass around the wrist or arm, substantially as described.

2. In a handcuff, the two pivoted jaws, which have a spring placed between their shorter ends and a segment for locking them DAVID AL'IMAN.

Witnesses JOHN KING, I. H. VANDEMAR. 

